The Recreation Value of Botanical Gardens: Applying a Travel Cost Approach

Background and objective: Botanical gardens play a vital role in connecting society with nature through their exhibition andeducational programs, and they are also becoming increasingly popular travel attractions, with approximately 500 millionvisitors to botanical gardens worldwide each year. Although botanical gardens offer substantial recreational value, researchmeasuring this direct-use value remains limited. In this context, this study aims to estimate the recreational benefits ofbotanical gardens by assessing the direct-use value of the Sejong National Arboretum in South Korea. Methods: We employed the individual travel cost method to measure the recreational value of the Sejong NationalArboretum. On-site surveys yielded 474 responses, of which 430 were included in the analysis. To account formulti-destination trips, we incorporated dummy variables for travel type and interaction terms with travel costs in ouranalyses. Using the model, we estimated consumer surplus and conducted a sensitivity analysis of consumer surplus withrespect to the opportunity cost. Results: Arboretum visitation was significantly influenced by travel cost at the substitute site, age, residency in Sejong, andindependent travel status. However, no additional consumer surplus attributable to multi-destination trips was observed. The sensitivity analysis demonstrated sufficient robustness, so the baseline model employing one-third of the wage rateto calculate consumer surplus was adopted. Ultimately, the consumer surplus associated with the arboretum wasestimated to be ₩12,248 ($8.97). Conclusion: The Sejong National Arboretum's direct-use value exceeded twice its entrance fee, suggesting thatmanagement should consider increasing entrance prices. The results of this study can contribute to the financialsustainability of the arboretum. Given the limited research on the direct-use value of modern urban botanical gardens, thisstudy contributes to the literature by applying a travel cost method to evaluate the recreational benefits provided by suchinstitutions.